Coho Salmon
scientific name
Oncorhynchus kisutch
common names
Silver salmon, hook nose salmon, blueback salmon, jack salmon, salmon
trout, silverside salmon and white salmon
size/weight/height
Coho salmon
can grow to more than 3 feet long and weigh up to 36 pounds, but 6 to 12 pounds is average.
coloration
Coho salmon
are bluish-black with silver sides in saltwater and black spots on
the back and upper part of the caudal fin. The inside of the mouth
is gray or black with white gums.
reproduction/lifespan
At one
year, coho fry swim downstream, undergoing changes that allow them
to live in salt water. Moving into the ocean, they are now smolts,
and become adults. In the fall, at age 2 or 3, salmon return to their
birth stream to spawn. After spawning, salmon die.
diet
Coho fry
feed primarily on insects, zooplankton and small fish. When they
reach the ocean, they add small crustaceans to their diet. Adult
coho primarily eat other fish and invertebrates. At the zoo they
are fed a mixture of krill, brine shrimp, chopped fish and insects.
habitat/range
Coho populations
are wide spread in the North Pacific, from California to Japan. Coho
salmon have been introduced to Lake Erie, as well as landlocked reservoirs
throughout the United States. Major spawning grounds are in Alaska,
Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
Status
Some populations of coho salmon are listed as threatened in the UnitedStates.
Other
Salmon are a symbol of several Native American tribes, symbolizing life and sustenance.
oregon zoo exhibit
Eagle Canyon
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